The Shattering
by MasterFirebender84
Summary: *Based on a DA Comic* Deep in the dark catacombs of Republic City, Korra desperately searches for her friend Bolin, who has been captured by the Equalists. When she finds him, she finds herself cornered by Equalists, Bolin's life hanging by a thread...


For my next story, I decided to do a novelization of a DeviantART Comic that I read by **=lledra **called "Legend of Korra - Avatar State Comic :Oneshot:". I do not own this comic, and I have asked lledra for permission to novelize her comic and expand on it with my own ideas. She has given me her permission, and I give full credit to her for the comic. The only changes I made to the story was for the one bit of language in the comic and the bit at the end that I added on.

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender". The show and its characters belong to Mike and Bryan, the brillant geniuses behind one of the greatest cartoon shows in the history of cartoons. Their work is legendary, and I salute them for it. I also do not own "The Legend of Korra" or any of the characters associated with it. I am merely a fanboy who is passionate about this amazing series.

**The Shattering**

"Please be here…" Korra desperately whispered to herself as she continued to walk down the massive chamber, the thudding of her heavy boots dully echoing into endless, desolate darkness, her sharp cyan eyes glancing to and fro as she searched for her friend. Looking off to her left, she loudly called out, "Bolin?" Moving her eyes over to her right, Korra cupped her right hand next to her mouth, she shouted, "Bolin? Bolin? Can you hear me?"

An aching groan sounded off to her left, drawing her attention towards the source of the noise, orbs of crisp cyan locking onto a vague human form hanging from the ceiling. "Bolin!" she cried out, recognizing the Earthbender by his pained moans. She frightfully gasped, her eyes going wide as she realized Bolin's current position: he was bound by his hands and his legs were hanging limp, his whole body suspended almost seventy feet in the air. His head was held down, as if he were unconscious and unable to command his body.

Just the very sight of Bolin in such a horrible condition wrenched a knife in Korra's heart, twisting the blade as she witnessed what the Equalists had done to her beloved friend. Through her shock, she managed to shakily say, "Oh…oh- oh gosh!" Composing herself, she determinedly shouted, "I'm coming!" Anger and outrage began to course through her veins like a vile poison as she ran over to Bolin. "I'll beat whoever did this!" Looking back up at Bolin, she shouted, "Just hang on a litt-" She winced internally as she bit off the rest of her sentence, knowing for sure that her choice of words had been poor. "Sorry!" she quickly apologized. "That was in bad taste!"

The Avatar stopped herself when she was directly underneath Bolin, looking up at his still-motionless body as she yelled, "Hey Bolin! Can you hear me?" The Earthbender didn't respond, his total silence utterly disturbing Korra down to her very core. "Come on, Bolin!" she pleaded, trying to get _something_ out of the unresponsive Earthbender, _anything_ to get heart racing heart to calm down. "Where's that charm that never stops?" she prodded as her chi took hold of the earth beneath her feet, forming a round rock platform that she could stand on. Raising herself up towards Bolin on the rumbling platform, she said, "I'm going to get you out of here."

Before she had even raised herself up ten feet, something brightly lit up on Bolin's chests, sending savage bolts of electricity arcing all over his body as he threw his head back and screamed in agony, the maniacal cackle of the bolts tearing huge shreds out of Korra's heart. "_What?_" she astonishingly exclaimed, bringing her platform to a grinding halt as the electricity ceased, leaving Bolin to raggedly pant his pain through constricted gasps and groans. She suddenly realized that the electricity had come from a device strapped to Bolin's chest, obviously trigged by a remote operator.

"Figured you'd come back to 'save' the last one," coldly said a harsh, grating voice from behind Korra, causing her to whip her head around towards the source. "You're very predictable"

No matter where Korra looked, all she saw was inky darkness. "Wha-" she began to say, cutting herself off as she saw dozens of forms lurk out of the murk, menacing green eyes leering at her as Equalists continued to pour into her line of vision. Korra grit her teeth, narrowing her eyes as she irritably said, "You guys recover fast…"

She saw The Lieutenant step out from the group of Equalists, his face expressionless as he said in a warning tone, "If I was you, I'd find myself thinking _carefully_ on what I was going to do here."

"Oh yeah?" boldly challenged Korra, tightly clenching her fists, engulfing both of her hands in crackling flames. "Didn't I already show you all that you're no match for me? But if you want, go ahead and try again. I _will_ stop you and free my friend."

Above her, she heard the device spark to life again, shocking Bolin with unforgiving cruelty as the Earthbender screamed and writhed in anguish. Korra looked back up at Bolin in horror, afraid that if she didn't do something, Bolin would die. Looking back at the Equalists horde as she put out her flames, she frantically screamed, "No! Stop! Leave him alone!"

The device shut off, leaving Bolin to try and recover as The Lieutenant asked, "Do you still think you can stop all of us? Before he's dead?"

Korra could hear Bolin panting above her, each and every intake of air sounding more excruciating than the last. Knowing that she couldn't allow Bolin to suffer because of her, she softly said, "…I'll do whatever you want. Just let him go."

The Lieutenant amusedly chuckled, though none of that morbid amusement leaked into his facial expression as he said, "How touching, but we want you and _everyone_ like you _gone._ That includes _him_" – he nodded towards Bolin – "and that other boy you got free." Earlier that day, Korra had saved Mako from the Equalists' clutches, but was unable to rescue Bolin at the same time, forcing her to return for the Earthbender once Mako was safe.

"You're all insane!" declared Korra, finding the Equalist second-in-command's statement absolutely absurd. "Bending is natural. You can't just get rid of everyone who has it!" She felt a drop of moisture land on her cheek, surprising her a little and causing her to reach her hand up towards where the droplet had landed. "Huh?" Looking up, she saw that her friend was slightly moving, still showing definite signs of life. "Bolin…"

"Korra…" rasped Bolin, his voice hoarse and rough from all of his screaming. "Save yourself." Flashing her a reassuring smile, the weakened Earthbender added, "I'll be okay."

The Lieutenant made a grunting sound, though it was difficult to tell if he was impressed by the Earthbender's fortitude or annoyed that the Earthbender was influencing the situation with his words. "Didn't think you'd be strong enough to keep talking, boy."

Bolin's torturous screams ripped through the tense air as the device shocked him once more, consuming his whole body in hateful bolts of malice. Korra could only look on in horror, the sight of her friend's suffering burning a permanent image in her eyes.

"Take me instead!" she demanded as she looked back at the Lieutenant. Hearing the crackle of electricity die down, she added, "I'm the Avatar! I'm worth more, right?"

"While that _is_ true," agreed The Lieutenant, "we learned earlier today that you can't be trusted-"

"Can't be _trusted_?" indignantly yelled Korra. "You kidnapped my friends! _Tortured_ them!"

Clearly unfazed by the Avatar's accusations, The Lieutenant calmly said, "So, we'll be keeping the Earthbender as insurance. You bring back the Firebender, show me that you're honest. No tricks. Then we can talk about letting the one you like the most go."

Korra's eyes widened with complete shock at The Lieutenant's unreasonable demands. He really thought she would betray her friends like that by choosing which one would live and which one would die? "Wh-What? _No_! I'm not going to _ever_ do that!

"Friendship has made you weak, Avatar," stated The Lieutenant. "Though I did expect as much," he indifferently admitted with a slight shrug. "I would highly recommend you changing your mind quickly, though."

"_Change my mind_?" incredulously bellowed Korra, tightening her hands into fists like an iron vice grip. "I'm going to save my friend and get rid of you!"

"It really wouldn't take much more," informed The Lieutenant.

"What wouldn't?" demanded Korra, frustrated that The Lieutenant wasn't clarifying himself.

"To kill the friend of yours that we have," replied The Lieutenant in an even tone, as if murder was a normal part of how the Equalists operated. "Wouldn't want that happening, now would we?"

Korra's heart seemed to stop beating, an uncertain and fearful look plastering itself on her face, feeling as if there was no other way out of this hideous predicament other than to do what the Equalists said.

After a few moments of thoughtful consideration, Korra firmly set her jaw, setting a determined fire in her heart as she unclenched her fists, allowing her chi to flow into the rock beneath her feet, rocketing her up towards Bolin.

"You're not making the right choices," disappointedly warned The Lieutenant, though he didn't seem astonished by the Avatar's decision to save her pathetic friend.

Korra came to a stop as she reached Bolin, allowing the Earthbender's feet to touch the rock platform. "I'm going to get you out of here," she told him, dead-set on getting her friend out alive and back safely to his brother.

"Korra…" gasped Bolin, trying to gather up all of his strength just so that he could speak. "You need to leave! I know you can get away on your own. I'll only slow you down. There's too many of them. Just go. _Run_."

"I'll carry you out if I have to," retorted Korra, knowing that she could _never _bring herself to leave Bolin behind. "I came back for you!"

"That sounds really, _really_ good…" quietly said Bolin, his normally cheerful and perky voice sounding very much defeated and tired. "But no. I need you to listen." Mournful tears leaked down Bolin's face as he brokenly said, "I need you to tell Mako I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about!" countered Korra, appalled that Bolin was actually trying to _apologize_ for something that wasn't his fault. "Also, if you need to tell Mako anything," firmly said Korra, "you can tell him yourself. I came for _you_, and _nobody_ is going to stop me!"

"How sweet," interjected The Lieutenant from far below them, as if the very idea of the Avatar going to any lengths to save her useless friend 'touched' some part of his black heart.

"Heh…" lightly chuckled Bolin, a small smile playing at his lips, as if a little spark of the old Bolin was finally coming back to life. "Nobody? Not even me?"

"No," affirmed Korra with an amiable smile. "Not even you."

Bolin was quiet for a few moments, as if trying to decide what to do. "Hey…" he softly said after a few seconds of contemplative silence. "When you do get me out, I need to talk to you ab-"

Deciding that the time for talk was over, The Lieutenant pushed a hidden button on his glove – he had been controlling the electric shocks with another button also located on his glove - sending the torture device into overdrive and shocking the helpless Earthbender with malignant abandon, the boy's screams endlessly echoing throughout the chamber.

Korra threw up her arms to protect herself from the electric shock, her vision going stark white for a brief moment from the sudden burst of electricity. "_BOLIN_!" she frightfully screamed as she looked over her arm, forced to face the horrid sight of Bolin's electrocution. "Bolin!" Whirling around on the Equalists, she yelled in a shrill shriek, "Stop this! You're killing him!" No response from the enemy. "_Please_!" she pleadingly begged, unable to take any more of her friend's suffering.

From behind her, she heard the device shut off and Bolin's tortured screams die, followed by the metallic "Clang" of chains being stretched to their limit, as if struggling to hold a heavy weight

Korra snapped her head behind her to see Bolin's limp body, only the chains supporting his weight. Her eyes went wide with fear at the slumped form behind her, her heart rapidly beating with frantic trepidation. "Bolin?"

"You have to learn not to talk so much," dryly chastised The Lieutenant. Korra hesitantly turned towards Bolin as The Lieutenant said, "This could have been avoided. If you want to ensure that this doesn't happen again, do as we say."

Ignoring The Lieutenant, Korra called out, "Bolin!" Cupping Bolin's cheeks in her hands, she lifted his face up to her. "Come on, say somethi-" The words died in her mouth when she saw the blank, faraway look in Bolin's lifeless eyes, dried tear streaks coating his cheeks.

Korra could only stare at Bolin's expressionless face as her mind went elsewhere…

_"I'm going with you," said Mako as he stood up from the chair, moving over towards the door._

_She stepped in his way, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him back into the chair as she said, "No! You're too hurt, Mako! I can do this."_

_"You expect me to just sit here?" angrily exclaimed Mako, wincing at the pain emanating from his broken right arm, which was in a sling_

_Keeping her hands on his shoulders, she firmly said, "I expect you to do just that while _I_ go and save Bolin." She let go of him as she moved over towards the door, turning around when she heard Mako get up again._

Korra held her head down as she let go of Bolin's cheeks, ashamed to even look in her friend's blank eyes, knowing she would only find emptiness there. She had failed him…

_"You _should_ have listened to me and gotten him first!" furiously shouted Mako. "He – he…" The Firebender's will to argue with her seemed to break, as did his voice when he chokingly begged, "Please…Korra…get him back…he's all I have…"_

_"You're a natural," she could hear Bolin say in her mind, a ghost-like memory from the first day they had met, when he had praised her for her prodigal bending skills._

_Feeling Mako's haunting eyes sorrowfully burrowing into her soul, she softly said, "I promise."_

Shoulders hunched, Korra just let all of her energy flow to her hands, igniting voracious flames in her palms, letting the flames hungrily lick up her arms as Mako's cracked, broken, despairing words continued to echo in her mind.

_"Please…Korra…"_

_"Get him back…"_

_"He's all I have…"_

_"Please…"_

She had failed Mako…

She had failed Bolin…

But worst of all…

She had failed herself.

Because of her…Bolin was gone.

Something awoke within Korra as the tears poured from her closed eyes, trailing down her tan cheeks, an ancient force of unbelievable power that resided deep within her soul, magnifying her flames and making them grow in ferocity, the small crackle slowly becoming a building roar as the flames continued to grow and swirl around her and Bolin.

Seeing the Avatar's fury build, The Lieutenant said, "It was your own indecision that kill-" He stopped himself when he saw the top of the Avatar's rock platform become engulfed in a raging ball of fire, the dead Earthbender's bonds being broken as a pair of unseen hands pull his body down. "Ah…" hummed The Lieutenant, a sly smile coming to his lips.

The Equalists around him uneasily shifted at the sudden display of the Avatar's power, one of them saying, "Sir! We should get out of here immediately!"

Whirling on his men, The Lieutenant barked, "If you're so frightened, then leave!" Turning around and gazing back at the swirling fireball, he added, "I'll deal with her." He heard his men flee behind him, and he thought them cowards for not standing up against the very embodiment of what they were trying to rid the world of. "Beautiful…" mused The Lieutenant, the dancing flames painting a mysterious yet deadly image in his vision, power and beauty in its rawest form.

Within the fireball, Korra was gently holding Bolin in her arms, tears still leaking out of her now-glowing eyes. Carefully setting her friend's body down on top of the rock platform, Korra turned to look down at The Lieutenant, her glowing eyes filled with a deluge of primal anger and rage.

She jumped off the platform, the thirst for revenge pounding in her veins as she floated in midair, still engulfed by her sphere of fire. Sweeping her left hand off to the side, the earth beneath her began to tear itself asunder, breaking off into sharp, jagged pieces and large boulders, the endless rumble of crumbling rock and stone intermingling with the animalistic roar of an enraged firestorm

"Do you have what it takes to avenge your friend?" challenged The Lieutenant, pulling out his electric kali sticks from his back, keeping them at the ready. "I don't believe you have it in you…" Straddling himself up, The Lieutenant boldly said, "So let's see who wins this, Avatar." Activating his electric kali sticks, The Lieutenant held his crackling weapons towards the Avatar., unafraid of the coming storm of Earth and Fire as he shouted, "Come and get me!"

"AS YOU WISH," boomingly said Korra, her voice intermingling into an ancient chorus of thousands of voices. With a mighty, earth-shaking roar, Korra thrust a clawed hand forward, sending all of her Earth and Fire at The Lieutenant, an overwhelming display of power and rage that absolutely no one could possibly survive.

The Lieutenant's eyes went wide behind his green-tinted goggles as he saw his doom approaching, a scream barely managing to tear itself out of his mouth when the firestorm struck him and the jagged blades of rock smashed into him. The Avatar's elemental fury fell full-force on the Equalist second-in-command, wiping him off the face of planet with the utterly savage motive of revenge.

Korra touched down on the ground, her eyes still aglow with the power of the Avatar State as she looked out over her kill, the flames dispersing as the rocks settled into place over what was left of The Lieutenant. With her retribution complete, her eyes lost their glow, disconnecting herself from all of her past lives. Turning around to face her rock platform, she launched herself up towards the top on a pillar of earth, alighting on top where Bolin's body was still laying.

A choked, distraught sob burst out of Korra's mouth as she knelt down by Bolin's side, her cheeks completely veiled with tears as she picked up her friend in her arms, looking down at him as she brokenly moaned, "I'm so sorry, Bolin…" Scrunching her eyes closed, she miserably whispered, "I failed you…" She rested her head on his chest, bitterly weeping over the loss of one of her closest friends. How was she going to possibly explain this to Mako? How was she going to tell him that his only brother was dead, and that she was the reason he was dead?

And then, just as she had given up all hope…she heard a faint, distant, almost imperceptible thumping in Bolin's chest, causing her to open her eyes wide in shock. Pressing her ear closer to Bolin's chest, she heard a weak, unsteady rhythm beating inside of Bolin, though the pattern was so indistinct that she was sure that she was just imagining it.

_Thump thump…thump thump…thump thump…_

It took a few moments for Korra to finally register what she was hearing, but when she realized what it was, an overjoyed, open-mouth smile overcame her lips, hugging Bolin more fiercely as she said, "You're alive!" Bolin gave no response to her statement, leading her to realize that her friend was unconscious from the overload of electricity. As surprised as she was that the electrocution didn't kill him, she really didn't care at the moment; her friend was alive, and now it was up to her to take care of him, to find someone who could heal him and bring him back to her.

She picked up Bolin in her arms, lowering her rock platform to the ground as she looked at his peaceful face, chuckling as she said, "You always pull through for the team, don't you, Bolin?" Once they were back on the ground, Korra walked past the earthen tomb of The Lieutenant, carrying her friend through the darkness in the hope that she would soon lead them back into the light and back into safer havens, far from the all-encompassing reach of the Equalist menace.

* * *

Now some of you might be wondering how Bolin could still be alive. While yes, he was brutally electrocuted, it was just enough to send him into a catatonic state that resembled death. However, his heart is still beating, albeit weakly. That ending part was just my idea thrown onto the end of lledra's comic.


End file.
